New technology, layout highlight Xylexpo fairHundreds of international exhibitors will showcase their wares.

Europe’s largest woodworking event in 2018, Xylexpo will play host to hundreds of exhibitors from around the world, with
displays spread across more than 322.9
thousand net square feet. Organized by
Acimall, the show will be held May 8-12 at
the FieraMilano-Rho in Milan, Italy.

At a special preview event for journalists, Acimall Director Dario Corbetta said
the show is expecting double-digit growth
in attendance. In 2016 the show had 17,415
attendees/buyers, with about a third of the
visitors from countries other than Italy.

“Xylexpo is an exhibition of technological relevance. A content-rich, high-quality
exhibition focused on industrial manufacturing and smart machines designed to be
interactive and to create highly automated
production routes,” Corbetta said.

“Xylexpo is [also] the home of the‘smart factory,’ with over 300 technologyvendors, most of them from Germanyand Italy, which are the two ‘cradles’ ofleading-edge solutions for the wood andwood-based materials industry; definitelythe only global event in even-numberedyears with such a reputation,” he added.

“Having reliable, integrated and competitive production systems in a context
where economic recovery is well underway
will prove to be strategic and decisive both
for large industrial groups and for the entire supply chain,” said Luigi DeVito, vice
president of Eumabois and SCM Machinery Division director. According to figures
from Eumabois, Italy ranks second in European woodworking machinery and tool
production sales, with 31% of the market.

Germany, with 43%, is first, with other top
producers including Austria (5%), Spain
(3%) and Turkey (2%).

Also sharing insights and information
at the Xylexpo preview event were Lorenzo Primultini, Acimall president and
president of Primultini, Marinella Loddo
of ICE, the Italian Trade and Industry
Agency, and Federico Rossi, academic
leader for Digital Architecture Robotics and senior lecturer in Architecture
London South Bank University.

“We are very happy about the nextXylexpo, as figures are positive and sig-nificant,” Primultini said, adding that afourth hall has been added, “to meet theincreasing demand by many exhibitors.”Along with a fourth hall, “technologyleaders” will be spread throughout theexhibition, anchoring each hall. “Pastsolution categories are outdated, as moreand more companies have a huge anddiversified catalog, addressing smallwoodworking handicraft workshops upto industry giants that process hundredsof panels at every working shift,” Pri-multini added. “In this respect Xylexpohas made progress, creating a consistent‘continuum,’ while highlighting the spe-cific features of some industry segmentsin dedicated areas inside the halls.”A fourth category, “Tools” has alsobeen added to the Xylexpo Innova-tion Awards program, joining “PrimaryOperation and Solid Wood Processing,”“Panel Processing,” and “Finishing.” The2018 event will also include conferencesand seminars. For information and regis-tration, visit xylexpo.com. ;